Background

CommBank, Australia’s biggest bank, has a long history of supporting inclusion in sport. They have sponsored the Australian Women’s Cricket Team for over 20 years, and were a founding partner of the Growing Cricket for Girls Fund and the A Sport For All programme, which champions inclusion and diversity in cricket through indigenous, multicultural, people with a disability and LGBTQI+ community initiatives. In March 2020, Australia was set to host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, one of the world’s most prestigious cricket tournaments. The question was, how to leverage CommBank’s sponsorship of the team in order to drive greater recognition for women in sport. In addition, our objectives were to raise awareness of CommBank’s support for women’s cricket and to help fill the MCG for the final on International Women’s Day, setting a World Record for attendance at a women’s cricket match – a hugely ambitious goal.

Describe the cultural / social / political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

he Australian Women’s Team has dominated T20 cricket globally. Prior to the World Cup, they were the world’s number one team, having won multiple World Cup titles. But, even though the Australian public recognised their skill, the size of their crowds had never matched their ability. In fact, prior to March 2020, their highest-ever attendance was just 5,650, while the largest crowd at a Women’s T20 World Cup Final worldwide was just 12,717. This didn’t even come close to attendance at men’s games. We needed to turn passive appreciation of the team into active attendance, turning respectful followers into raving fans. And we had four months to do it.

Describe the creative idea

Back in 1978, one song changed Australian cricket forever. ‘C’mon Aussie, C’mon’ spearheaded an advertising campaign that drove record crowds, and has been Australia’s cricketing anthem ever since - but only ever for the men’s team. So for the first time, we reinvented the song for the women’s team, complete with the original songwriter and vocalist, Allan ‘Jo’ Johnston, now in his 70s. We showcased the talents of the current players, but also shone a spotlight on some of the unsung players from the past, truly putting the women's team on a pedestal.

Describe the strategy

Australians already recognised the quality of the team. So we needed to do more than show off their skills. We needed to show that they’re an intrinsic part of Aussie cricketing culture - as worthy of attention, and attendance, as the men. By reinventing Australia’s ‘cricketing national anthem’ for the women’s team, we introduced the individual players, elevated the team themselves, and drove reconsideration by the Australian public. The strategy reframed the team as Aussie cultural icons, superstars for every Australian to look up to.

Describe the execution

The campaign ran from 26 December 2019 until 10 March 2020, featuring TV, BVOD, social, radio, out-of-home, digital display, in-branch, eDM and on-ground executions. We also launched an extended version of the song on streaming services, with proceeds going to the McGrath Foundation. Phase 1, Inspire, put the team in the spotlight and encouraged Australians to support them at the upcoming T20 tournament. We launched on 26 December 2019, during the men’s Boxing Day Test, perhaps the biggest men’s game of the year. Phase 2, Engage, began in the lead-up to the tournament, with out-of-home and targeted social executions encouraging people to fill the stadiums for each of the matches, and on-ground activations at the stadiums themselves. Phase 3, Celebrate, began as soon as the Australian team won the tournament, celebrating the landmark victory by switching on a real-time outdoor execution and congratulations message in

Describe the results / impact

The campaign helped create a landmark moment in women’s sporting history, putting the women’s team in the spotlight and driving strong results for CommBank. Attendance of 86,174 at the final, eclipsing the previous record of 5,650. Highest attendance for a women’s cricket event ever held in Australia. Highest attendance for a women’s sporting fixture ever held in Australia. Highest attendance for a women’s cricket match anywhere in the world. Highest attendance for a T20 International cricket match, women’s or men’s, anywhere in the world. Second-highest attendance for any women’s sporting event anywhere in the world. Sixth most-watched cricket event, men’s or women’s, of all time. In TrueNorth Research’s 2020 BenchMark rankings, measuring Emotional Connection with sporting teams, the Australian Women’s Cricket Team rose to #1 national team, male or female. PR audience reach of 10.8 million (43% of Australian population), generating 192 pieces of content. Overwhelmingly positive sentiment in social.